Roger Federer's long-time agent, Tony Godsick, hinted at a potential exhibition match between Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Federer retired from tennis at the 2022 Laver Cup, and since then, he hasn't appeared on a tennis court. He's been spotted on a few courts here and there, including this year's Laver Cup, but he hasn't played a tennis match, exhibition or not.
That's mostly by design because Federer doesn't want to play if he's not fully healthy. The knee issues are what ultimately forced him to retire from tennis back in 2022 because he couldn't continue competing the way he wanted to.
The knee problem is likely something that will follow him for the rest of his life. Not being on the court since retiring certainly backs that up, but he will be back.
That was always the plan according to his agent Tony Godsick, who has been with Federer for a very long time and played a crucial role in setting up the Laver Cup. In a recent interview, Godsick explained that Federer wouldn't play again unless he felt physically well, and that's what's happened so far.
"Since Roger retired he hasn’t wanted to play another match as long as he doesn’t feel physically well."
Even though Federer hasn't played much since retiring two years ago, the Swiss Ace is open to it. There has always been hope that he will be able to compete in at least exhibition matches in the future because his name is still synonymous with tennis.
If Federer is announced to play a tennis match anywhere in the world, the stands will be packed, the media will be there, and his presence is a very powerful tool to promote tennis or any other event.
Godsick mentioned a few exhibitions that they did in the past, including the one in South Africa, and something similar might happen in the future as well.
An exhibition with Nadal is certainly possible because they like to collaborate with each other, and it's certainly the exhibition that most people would be interested in.
"To my mind comes the record of spectators that they beat in South Africa. We like to do big things. If there is an option to beat that one day, I’m sure Roger will consider it."
"They both like to collaborate and I like working with Carlos Costa [Nadal’s agent]. I have very good memories. We did the half-grass, half-earth exhibition in Mallorca…. Anything is possible in the future."
Overall, it does seem like there is an appetite on many sides for Federer to stand on a tennis court again, and while that's not a huge surprise, time will tell whether it actually materializes. It will mostly depend on Federer's health, which, at least so far, hasn't really allowed him to compete.